Herb latin name: Gladiolus dalenii


Family: Iridaceae (Iris Family)



Edible parts of Gladiolus dalenii:

Flowers - raw or cooked. The anthers are removed and the flowers are added to salads or used as a boiled vegetable. Children suck the flowers for their copious quantities of nectar.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Corm


Height:
150 cm
(5 feet)

Flowering:
July to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Grassy places and open woods at elevations to 2,000 metres in Natal. Regions with summer rainfall.

Propagation of Gladiolus dalenii:

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse at 15°C. It usually germinates freely. The seed can also be sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a warm greenhouse. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be grown on in the pot without disturbance for their first year, giving them an occasional liquid feed to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when they are dormant in the autumn, placing about 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another year or two in the greenhouse and then plant them out in late spring. Division. Dig up the corms in October, dry them in well ventilated conditions at about 20°C and then store them in a cool but frost-free place over the winter, planting them out about 10cm deep in April. Cormlets harvested when digging up the corms in the autumn can be stored in a similar manner to the corms. Larger cormlets can be planted out in spring, smaller ones may be best grown on for a year in the greenhouse.

Cultivation of the herb:

Grassy places and open woods at elevations to 2,000 metres in Natal. Regions with summer rainfall.

Medicinal use of Gladiolus dalenii:

None known

Known hazards of Gladiolus dalenii:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.